My main concern is that if you needed an expensive medical procedure would the doctor worry about getting paid? and could the doctor refuse your care. Can you pay for the services up front and just get reimbursed. Let's say your knee surgery was 15k and they wanted to get paid up front would CHM reimburse you or would you need to find a doctor to do this and bill and bill you? That is my biggest concern is that the doctor or hospital would refuse because they are not sure they will get paid? I do also of a organization called MD save which you can shop around for services and get a cash discount, but you have to pay up front again would CHM honor and reimburse you or do you need to find someone to bill you?
Hey Mike, great questions and concerns. I actually did pay for my knee surgery up front and CHM reimbursed me. There are a lot of places that require upfront payments (or at least a % down) before taking on a patient. If paying for something upfront is a challenge you can communicate with CHM about getting an expedited reimbursement so you can cover the expenses. Otherwise, asking the hospital/doctor/provider for a payment plan is also another great option! There are a lot of services I have had to pay for upfront and then eventually sent the bills into CHM and they reimbursed me. You can always call CHM to figure out if the expense would likely be covered or not if you are concerned too =] Hope this helps!
Can anybody join? I don’t have any illness or medication. I have clean living. Its just i will retire at 62 in 2025 October and wont have anymore insurance till I’m 65 thru Medicare.
They don't cover injuries resulting from extreme sports. Here is their exact wording on it: . Extreme sports and hazardous activities-CHM cannot share medical bills incurred due to participation in professional or semi-professional extreme sports or activities; organized contests for extreme sports or activities; or hazardous activities. Such activities include but are not limited to: BASE jumping, bull riding, BMX/motocross, bungee jumping, paragliding, racecar driving, scuba diving, etc.
Hey Karen, great question. CHM does not share prescriptions costs unless it’s incident related and you are on the Gold Plan. They do give tips on this page on how to help find lower cost prescriptions here www.chministries.org/how-it-works/my-medical-needs/prescriptions/
Hey Cynthia, thanks for checking out the video - glad it waas helpful! Eye care - I go to the Sam's Club eye clinic and it is very affordable for a checkup. I then order my contacts from some online store that has the best deals. Sam's Club also sells contacts, but I find them slightly cheaper online. And for dental, I actually pay annually at my dentist's office. So I pay $299 for the whole year and that covers two cleanings and x-rays. My dentist considers it his "insurance" plan. If I ever need a cavity filled or anything extra then his "insurance plan" also give me 50% off of any additional procedures. I like to think I take pretty good care of my teeth, which does save me money because I haven't had any cavities or necessary dental work besides my cleanings. Preventative care is the best way to save money on health expenses =D If you're interested in finding a dentist like that (that offers self pay discounts) check out this website - agapeinvests.com/opencare It's how I found my dentist and got paid to do it =D. Or you can simply call local dentist offices - both work! Hope this helps!!
Hey Ethan, thanks for checking out the video. Great question too - here is the answer copied from their FAQ page: "Your monthly contribution required for membership is not tax deductible*; however, all extra giving over and above your minimum monthly contribution to Christian Healthcare Ministries (including Prayer Page giving) qualifies as a charitable contribution for tax purposes. Christian Healthcare Ministries, Inc. is exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. *Per Missouri and Indiana law, monthly contributions are tax deductible for members who are residents in these states."
Hi Katie, I’ve had been with CHM for over three years now and have the Gold coverage and Brothers Keeper. I have never had to use them for any major cost it until now. I’m having a knee replacement and I’m in the process of trying to work out a payment plan with the facility, doctor and the anesthesiologist plus therapy. The fear I have is I don’t have the money to pay for that all up front and honestly, anxious about getting it paid for. CHM said it would be covered and shared, but I would regret getting it done and being left with a portion of something not covered.
Hey Darrell, what a blessing first of all that you haven't had any major medical expenses up until now! And I totally understand your fear. Have you had a chance to chat with someone from CHM on the phone to discuss the procedure. I'd recommend chatting with them to discuss to see what options you have for getting the money prior to needing to pay the medical bills. I had a knee surgery too while a CHM member and had no issues getting the medical expenses approved and the reimbursements from CHM after the expenses were shared.
Yes I have, as a matter of fact I contacted CHM to see if they would and was told that they would, up to two days prior to the surgery, but then I was told they didn’t by someone else at CHM. The reason was they’ve hired a lot of new employees and they did not know this but have had a meeting to correct this. I met with the doctor and he gave me a explicit detail of the knee replacement of what needed to be done and prices with discounts of doing my due diligence to be told they don’t. That was very frustrating and don’t understand why they wouldn’t if all the discounts are there for being a cash pay. Thank you for responding.
@@darrelltremblay9169 Very interesting! I hope that my experience at least gives you a bit of hope that CHM does actually send the money to you! We had no issues with that.
Message Request itemized bill: We are unable to process your bills based off estimates. Please submit the finalized Itemized Bill to continue the sharing process. Thank you! Request itemized bill: We are unable to process your bills based off estimates. Please submit the finalized Itemized Bill to continue the sharing process. Thank you! Archive Bill Number Total Charges Message
You would need to find a doctor that accepts self-pay patients. In my experience, I haven't had any issues with it as most doctors end up making more through self-pay patients since insurance isn't taking a huge cut. That's how lots of providers are able to offer huge discounts to self-pay patients.
Hi John, for dental, I recommend talking directly to a dentist to see if they offer self-pay discount plans. I currently pay once a year for my dentist and that includes 2 cleanings and xrays as well as discounts on any other procedures I might need. It is a lot cheaper this way instead of using dental insurance. For prescriptions, CHM does offer a prescription discount card. I also recommend using GoodRX online to get discounts. And for vision, I just go to Sams Club for my check ups and I scour the internet for the best contact deals online at the time. Usually paying for these services directly is cheaper than getting insurance for them UNLESS you happen to have more "problems" with your dental and vision than just needing glasses/contacts and some checkups. For example, if you have glaucoma then it might be beneficial to have vision insurance. P.S. If you're looking for a new dentist check out Opencare - you can get $50 back after finding a new dentist agapeinvests.com/opencare
@@KatieFiolaJones I have called my current dentist and they do not give any discounts for self pay. They only accept Dental Dental which is who I have now. Right now, I just do preventative maintenance for dental, vision and take no prescriptions. Have been blessed!! As I approach my retirement date of April 1st, the health insurance is the big thing. My wife will go on Medicare, so looking for a supplement for her to take care of the 20% not covered along with dental, vision and prescriptions. Have a couple months left and will continue to research. Thanks for your reply!
We have been on CHM for a little over a year; your channel provides excellent information which has answered my questions. Thanks for digging through all the minutia and for providing answers that are understandable :) Overall, CHM has been a good experience, but we have spent more out of pocket than originally expected because of the PR.
From my understanding, as a CHM member your medical expenses will be eligible for sharing immediately unless they are pre-existing conditions. The sharing process can take 70-85 days; the sharing "clock" begins the date CHM receives all of your necessary forms and relevant itemized bill(s). Sometimes bills can be shared sooner if your provider grants a significant discount. - I copied this from their website about the bill sharing process. chministries.org/resources/bill-sharing-process/ It's important to keep some cash set aside so you can still pay your medical bills on time if you are waiting for your bills to be shared amongst CHM.
Would medishare be less expensive for a 30 year old healthy person with no presiding conditions? Looking for a catastrophic plan that covers over $5-10,000.
I'm not as familiar with medishare and they don't post their pricing publicly - you need to apply in order to receive a "quote" for how much your monthly amount will cost. www.medishare.com/medi-share-for-individuals They do offer a discount for those people who are healthy.
Hey Marcus. From my understanding - if there is any routine health appointments that result in a "medical event" then yes, the initial few appointments should be share those costs. For example, if you went in for a physical and they noticed something off about your bloodwork that eventually led you down a path to find out you have cancer, then that initial appointment would be included in that "medical event"
Great question, yes. Each year you would need to hit that $5,000 personal responsibility which acts exactly like a deductible does with traditional insurance. Once you hit that, any future qualifying medical expenses would be eligible to be shared amongst the ministry.
Sort of both. They prefer you to do some negotiating. Usually it's just a phone call to the billing department to let them know that you are self-pay and asking if there are self-pay discounts. I've only run into an issue once with Quest Diagnostics with this tactic. They were very difficult to work with. But the hospitals and other medical providers have been very easy to work with and I've gotten close to 60% discounts before on medical services. Crazy! CHM will usually check to see if there are any other discounts just in case. The negotiating part is actually not as intimidating as it sounds and sometimes I kind of enjoy it just to see how big of a discount I can get. =]
@@KatieFiolaJones I had a $21K bill reduced down to $6k. Crazy (the mark up by the provider) or the discount they will accept. I've been burned by Liberty Health share, so I'm a little apprehensive about signing up with another Health Share ministry.
Does CHM cover any dental or eye dr bills? What about drug discounts. Do they have tele Drs and if yes what are their cost per phone call? Thanks for helping all of us.
No dental or optical. They offer discount cards you can use at pharmacies, though I have found that GoodRX offers better discounts on most drugs, I always try both to make sure! They do offer a subscription to HealthiestYou, a telehealth option. Appointments with doctors are included in that subscription, but appointments with others such as counselors for mental health appointments are an added fee per call.
Hey Daniel, in my first CHM video I talk a little bit about Samaritan Ministries ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7JExWximspM.html Did you have a specific question about the differences though?
Hey there! Thanks for watching - the answer is no. You don't have to be a member for a year. You are eligible for sharing right away as long as the medical event/incident was not preexisting. I actually needed my knee surgery within the first 6 months of becoming a CHM member and had no problem getting my medical bills shared amongst the ministry =D
So how do you feel about the price increase? Also when I started my PR was $500. Now it is $1000 . I know this might sound good to some people, but I'm paying over $255 a month for a higher PR now. I don't know if I can afford to keep my plan anymore 😔. Also I do not believe the deductible (PR amount) is even close to being any deductible. It is for a per medical issue. So I cant rack up $1000 in one year on different medical expenses. Then have the rest of my medical expenses payed for. If I have more bills. Unless they are all related to the original medical issue. Only works for, per each medical situation.
Hey David, the increase hasn't been too hard on us, but I know that inflation across the board has been tough on many families and I'm so sorry to hear that that is the case for you. Do you find yourself running into many different medical events throughout the year? With the rising cost of medical expenses I have found that the $1,000 initial amount needed is actually pretty reachable. Yes, if you are going to the doctor for many small medical events then it does add up. I would recommend if you are going to the doctor often for a lot of small medical stuff, then look into a Direct Primary Care. I have tried Forward Health and have been pretty pleased with them. They work like a primary care membership - you pay a monthly fee and can come in as often as you need for check ups when you're sick. Check out this mapper to find one near you mapper.dpcfrontier.com/
Hey Keith! Great question. This is copied from the CHM Website: If you’re 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare, you’re eligible for the CHM SeniorShare™ gift reduction on the Gold level. This means you get all of the comprehensive health cost support that comes with the Gold program-at a gift amount designed specifically for you! With CHM SeniorShare™, you have a low threshold of $500 for eligible medical bills and adding Brother's Keeper removes the $125,000 cap. Sharing includes: Inpatient and outpatient hospital incidents and surgeries Urgent care visits Independent lab work and radiology Physical therapy and home healthcare Incident-related doctor’s office visits Incident-related prescriptions
@@KatieFiolaJones Yeah, I was just making a joke. With me being single, (can't find anyone to have me) I am looking at the Silver plan, maybe the Bronze plan.
I do have another question about the $1000. I get shots in my knees every 3 months. If it cost $500 for each shot and visit, can I add all of them together to reach the $1000 PR? Thanks for your help.
Good question. The knee issue would likely be considered a pre existing condition and therefore for those medical bills to be shareable it you would probably need to be a part of the Gold Plan and the Brother's Keeper program chministries.org/resources/chm-guidelines/pre-existing-conditions/
If I am understanding this correctly, why would anyone do anything other than the Gold Plan? If you had no claims all year and just paid your monthly cost plus personal respoinsbility, the Bronze Plan would be paying more for much less coverage would it not? At $90 plus $5K for a bronze your yearly cost with no claims would be $6,080. But the Gold at $235 a month plus only a thousand would equal $3,820 a year. This seems pointless to even offer other plans.
Hey Clayton, the reason someone might choose the bronze plan may be due to the fact that they very rarely ever have medical mishaps. A person who is on the Bronze Plan and never has a medical event would only be paying $1,080 per year. However, if they were on the Gold Plan and never have a medical event would be paying $2,820. The $5,000 Personal Responsibility (similar to a deductible) would only be paid by them if they had a medical event in the first place. I'd say that lower level plans at CHM or even high deductible plans for traditional insurance are best for those who are very healthy and who have a fully funded emergency fund. Because in the case that something does happen they have the money to cover the personal responsibility (deductible).
@@KatieFiolaJones yeah I misunderstood the personal responsibility portion the way they worded it. I actually just got off the phone with them and they cleared it up. I thought it meant you were due to pay that regardless if you had any medical claims for the year or not and that it was a fee you had to pay to contribute to others bills. It's not. Its just a personal deductible like you said.
Hey! From my understanding - it sounds like for anyone who is already a CHM member you will still be governed by the previous maternity program until January 1st, 2023. So I believe if you happen to get pregnant before the end of the year then you will still fall under the original plan. However, the program is already effective for anyone just joining CHM for the first time. It may be worth giving them a phone call if you are trying to get pregnant right now to confirm. =]
Thank you for being so articulate and explaining concisely. I signed up yesterday, so sorry can't use your code. Just watching today to get more confidence regarding how it all works. Thank you God for this heart.
Hey thanks for checking out my video. Exciting to hear that you decided to sign up for CHM, it's great to also get to meet others who are members of CHM since we are all working together to support one another's medical bills. I hope that you enjoy CHM as much as we have enjoyed being a part of it. Reach out if you do have any questions! 😊
I have just checked with Medi-Care and it is more money for sure. Where I am retiring and not 65 yet, I can see going with CHM. Different question..What model Acer laptop do you have? Looking to purchasing a Acer laptop.
Hey John, Thanks for watching. I have an Acer Aspire A515-54 series. I have really enjoyed it the last couple of years. I recently found out though that I cannot hook it up to a docking station because the USB C port does not support sending out visual data (or something more technical sounding that I didn't understand very well). I believe this has changed with newer models. It is a very minor issue that I have only run into now after 2 years. Other than that small thing, it is fast and I do all my video editing on this computer just fine =D This is the link to the newest model of the exact one I have amzn.to/3QL0qte Mine has a black base instead of a sleek looking silver one. Let me know if I can answer any other questions for ya!!
Hi! Very informative video and I’m considering applying for this ministry. Sorry if I missed this in your video… but I read a review saying CHM requires you to first apply to government assistance programs before they will share your bills (such as Medicaid). Do you happen to know if that is actually true? I am not seeing that on the website other than wanting you to ask for self pay discounts. Thanks!
Hi thanks for watching - glad you found the video helpful. To answer your question, no they do not make you apply to gov. assistance programs. They do ask you to connect with billing departments to ask for any self-pay discounts. It's a super easy process and I have never had any trouble with it in the past!
Thanks for the info. I have a question. If the same exact scenario that you demonstrated happens (I’ve paid the $1,000” deductible for the first event), but say the second medical bill is under $1000, am I responsible for anything under $1,000 for each event after the first event?
Hey Thomas, thanks for watching. Great question - any medical event before and after the Personal Responsibility (deductible) does need to meet the minimum qualifying amount. For the Gold Plan that is $1,000. So with my knee example, if I just went to the doctor and paid $300 to get checked out and they tell me everything is okay and that was the end of that specific medical event then that $300 would be out of pocket. If you had a similar event and then you were told to get follow up tests costing $200, $600, and $100 - now the total cost of this medical event is $1200 which meets the minimum qualifying amount so all of it would be shareable if you already met your Personal Responsibility (deductible) for the year. Let me know if that helps to clarify your question! =D
Hi! I appreciate your video, such a great job! Question, let’s say that I have a medical event for $2000. Can I make a payment plan with the medical institution for the $1000 PR and then CHM to cover the rest?
Hi Angel, thanks for watching. Ultimately, you would be responsible for paying the $2,000 on time to the medical provider. I do suggest calling them to see if you can set up a payment plan with them. Once you have submitted your bills to CHM for approval, and they are approved, CHM will send you a check for the rest of the amount after your PR. You can use that to put toward the rest of the medical bill.
Thanks for doing such a great job on the video. I have a question about prescriptions. I have a fairly expensive medication that can cost over $500 a month. I am 55 years old and other than this auto immune condition and really good health If this medicine runs over $500 per month then if I understand correctly the gold membership with the brothers keeper would probably be the best option for me? Is that correct?
Hey Lynn, thanks for your kind words. CHM actually only covers incident related prescriptions. For example, when I had my knee surgery, the pain meds the doctor prescribed me were eligible for sharing. I'd recommend checking out this page they have on how you can get discounts on prescriptions chministries.org/how-it-works/my-medical-needs/prescriptions/
Here's where I get confused. Could you explain How, When the Gold plan $1000 PR vs Qualifying Limit comes in Am I misunderstanding your chart showing Events #1 & #2 where the PR for this person is met. So the Qualifying Limit Amount is no longer in affect for that same person for that year?
Hi Rhonda, very good question. It can be a bit confusing for sure! So a PR works just like a deductible. Once you meet a deductible, everything beyond that is 100% shared. A qualifying amount is saying that in order for a medical event to qualify to even be shared or go toward the PR it has to be at least $1,000. So for example if I had only gone to the doctor and they said I was fine and it cost me $100 it would not go toward the PR (deductible). But if I went and they had me do blood testing (maybe $400) and then asked me to go see a specialist (maybe $500) - now that medical event cost $1,000. So the whole medical event qualifies to go toward the PR. I would be responsible for paying for all of it first in order to meet my PR. If this same medical event turned into me needing surgery, I have already met the PR so every expense related to that medical event would be 100% shareable. Now with the 2nd medical event in the year, it would be the same thing - it would need to total at least $1,000 for all expenses related to that medical event. Once it meets $1,000 it qualifies to be shared and 100% of it would be shareable because I met the PR. I hope this makes sense! It can be confusing at first. Let me know what other questions you have!!
@@KatieFiolaJones Recap - In a nut shell ~ Your Qualifying Amount Never goes away. Even if your PR (Personal Responsibility deductible) is met. This applies to each Share/Person, each Event, per Year. I believe this is how I'm understanding this. ~ Rhonda, Missouri
@@rhondalugenbeel8031 Correct, the qualifying amount will always be the same for each medical event. But once your PR is met, 100% of your medical bills for any other medical events are shareable. Meaning that at the end of your bills being shared you are paying nothing out of pocket besides your monthly membership. And yes the PR and QA is per person.
@@KatieFiolaJones I've read all the comments and still have confusion! lol sorry Im going to try and make my question as direct as possible...my first medical event bill went over 1000, I pay the 1000 and CHM covers the rest. Then a NEW medical event occurs, is everything covered even if it does not total 1000 or does it also have to meet 1000 to be shareable? I feel like I have read it both ways lol I would hope that if you pay the 1000 for the first event that a future event of only 200 could be submitted, is that correct? Thank you so much for the time you took to go through everything!
@@jessicadicken-missfitfitne6430 Before any medical event can be considered shareable, it needs to reach $1000. The first medical event needs to first hit that target mark in order to be a considered for sharing and you must also pay the $1000 out of pocket as your personal responsibility (similar to a deductible). Any future event must first hit $1000 in order to be considered. If you have already paid your "deductible" aka your personal responsibility in CHM lingo, then that event can be 100% sharable amongst the CHM community. If you go to the doctor to get checked out for a cold and it cost you $100 and a prescription cost you $30. That event totals $130. It is NOT sharable bc it didn't meet the minimum mark. If you go to the doctor bc you are having trouble breathing and that costs you $100. They order a bunch of tests that total $500 then you have to have some surgery which will cost you idk $20,000. The total cost of this event is $20,600. You would pay $1000 out of pocket and CHM could share the rest with the community. They would send you money for the rest. The next medical event starts all over from the top. It needs to first hit $1000 to be considered eligible for sharing. So if you go to the doctor for $200 and nothing comes of it then that is out of pocket for you. Does this help?
Good question - it does sound a little too good to be true. We've all become so used to traditional health insurance that when we hear about a better option it seems like a scam. I would tell those people to give it a try and determine if it's a scam. But there are tons of people out there who can share reviews similar to mine who are very happy with health cost sharing ministries like CHM and Medi Share because they are helping save tons of money on health costs. =D
Hi, Very informative video. Not clear on the following: example, if you meet your $1000.00 personal responsibility and then have an event totaling for ex: $400.00, that event is 100% covered because you previously met the pr-correct? Look forward to hearing from you soon! Thank you in advance.
Hey Carolyn, it sounds like you understand it correctly. The PR works exactly like a deductible would for traditional insurance. You have to meet that once within the year. On the Gold Plan, the PR it is only $1,000. For a medical event to be considered "qualifying" it needs to cost a minimum of $1,000 on the Gold Plan. So if you had a medical event that only totaled to $400 then it would be out of pocket. However, if the $400 was the initial evaluation from a doctor and then it turned into needing surgery - that would all still be counted as one medical event. For example, I had my knee surgery and my first few appointments still were less than the "qualifying amount" for a medical event, but once I had to go get an MRI then it reached the qualifying amount and the cost of all medical expenses for that one medical event (knee injury) were shared amongst the ministry.
Hi Katie, before I throw you yet another question. Let me say that your Video is Fantastic! And I have Subscribed. My next question is regarding to Maternity. ** Does the whole Family need to be on Gold Plan? Or Just Mom. Does Dad ? What about the other children. ** That leads to another question. Can Family members be on different plans? Or One Plan per Family. Which would makes more sense.
Thanks Rhonda! That really means a lot to me =D The whole family does NOT need to be on the Gold Plan in order for the mom to be eligible for maternity cost sharing! This is something they changed a bit more recently and is fantastic! So the rest of the family can be on lower level plans. And yes family members can be on different plans too. Hope this helps!!
I am most appreciative of the content in the video as I am very much interested in signing up for CHM participation. Will use the link provided in the notes. When a bill is shared how does that work exactly? I’m thinking that once the deductible/ responsibility is met and the bill exceeds $500, CHM sends a check to the participant for that amount. Is that correct?
Hi Liz! Thanks so much for using our referral link. I appreciate your support of my RU-vid channel ☺ That is correct - once you submit the bills online and they are approved CHM will send you a check in the mail to reimburse you for the portion of you expenses that are shareable amongst the ministry. Depending on the medical event the check may come all at once or in different increments. For example, I got one big check for my knee surgery, but then a few smaller checks for my on-going physical therapy appointments since those were spread out and I submitted the medical bills further down the road. Hope that helps! =D
Great Video! I have a question about discounts. Before 2023, totals were accepted before "Cash Discounts" were applied by the provider. Is this still the same format??? EXAMPLE: My Doctor bill from Incident #1 before any discount is $1700 - before Cash Discounts are applied before I pay. After 50% cash discount is applied, my bill is $850 (not the norm, example only) Does the $1700 count towards my Personal Responsibility or the $850?? And if this was a different Incident, after I already covered my Personal Responsibility, is it not shareable because the $850 is under $1000?? I've done a great job of searching out the cheapest places for X-rays, MRIs, Bloodwork, etc - knowing that the Total before Discount was the total that mattered - not my out of pocket! Because it saves us all money. Can you confirm this is the same policy please?
From the website “Your qualifying amount per incident (QA) is the amount each incident must total (before discounts) to be eligible for sharing. This amount does not change and applies to each incident individually.” Therefore, ANY bills that total over $1000 before discounts, would be reimbursed 100%, after PR is reached. Example = $1700 bills, discounted to $850….CHM sends $850 to you PR is $1000 out of pocket
This is correct! If the bill before discounts reaching the qualifying amount then the bill is eligible for sharing! Thanks for helping find this information tjbbbb. And thanks for asking such a great question KW Delivery!
Hey Renals. It's actually not $1000 per doctor's visit. It is per medical event. So that could include many doctor's visits all adding up to over $1000. =]
Thank you for your informative video, a real blessing as I'm trying to find a health plan at the moment. CHM sounds like exactly what I'm looking for, a real answer to prayer, praise the Lord! Could you please provide me your referral code? I don't have a computer so I can't see your code. Thank you so much and God bless you for all your great work!
Hi Jay, sorry that I am just getting back to this. Life has been a little hectic lately as my husband and I became foster parents and took in 3 kiddos! If you didn't already sign up and would like to use my CHM referral code you can go to agapeinvests.com/chm Thanks for your consideration.
